Category: 2017

#1 Ed Sheeran Divide Give this a guy a guitar and a microphone and he will do amazing things. Give him a pen and paper and he will write incredibly personal lyrics. Put it all together and you end up with this year’s best album. Mixing pop anthems and soulful acoustic ballads and jams there…

#2 Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Zombies On Broadway I was first introduced to Andrew McMahon when he was the opening act on the Weezer/Panic! At The Disco 2016 summer tour. I immediately became a fan. His new album blew me away on first listen. The songs, the hooks, the dance rock rhythms are all…

#3 Harry Styles Harry Styles Take a moment and get past the fact that Harry Styles was once a member One Direction. Now put this album on and listen with an open mind. Incredibly mature and artistically brilliant. Harry now has a new career as a rock superstar. Someone who could easily compete with the…

#4 Foo Fighters Concrete and Gold Dave and company did it again!! For some reason the Foo Fighters have this surprising ability to make every new album a fresh new experience. They don’t just write and record songs. They put something else into it, a little more thought. This time around the get the most…

#5 Knuckle Puck Shapeshifter Part Pop-Punk, Part Post-Hardcore, 100% Emo! Knuckle Puck have are on a steady drive to become one of the biggest in their genre. Incredible songwriting and easily relatable lyrics combine for a great deep listening experience. Can we talk about the engineering on this record? Easily one of the best sounding…

#6 Weezer Pacific Daydream River Cuomo has to be one of the greatest songwriters of my time. His abilities to write interesting songs with captivating lyrics is incredible. His genius delivers once again with Pacific Daydream. Favorite Tracks – Mexican Fender, Feels Like Summer Listen to Pacific Daydream Watch The Videos

#7 Tom Chaplin The Wave The first solo outing for Keane front man Tom Chaplin plays just like a Keane record. That’s a good thing considering Keane is one of my all time favorite bands. Tom’s voice sounds better than ever and his ability to paint his lyrics with broad strokes makes the songs incredibly…

#8 Portugal. The Man Woodstock I gave this album a listen when it first came out and didn’t think much about it. Then I started hearing the single Feel It Still and went back. I really missed how great this album was on the first listen. Packed full of incredibly catchy indie rock songs. Favorite…

#9 Linkin Park One More Light This album was the soundtrack of my summer this year. The songs spoke to me. I won’t go into much detail but I related to almost every single song and message on this album over the summer. Favorite Tracks – Good Goodbye, Talking To Myself Listen to One More…

#10 Paramore After Laughter I’m not sure what it is about Paramore that keeps me around. They sound nothing like they did on Riot which was the album that made me an instant fan. They went from this hard rocking band to pure pop yet they are still one of my favorite bands and I…

#11 Creeper Eternity, In Your Arms On first listen I thought what the hell did I just discover? On second listen I thought there was no doubt this was going to blow up on the indie scene. This is the best Goth-Punk album since MCR’s acclaimed The Black Parade. Deservedly so too. Songs like Hiding…

#12 Greta Van Fleet From The Fires Who would have thought the next Led Zepplin would come from Frankenmuth, Michigan? The similarity is uncanny yet incredibly impressive. Not only do they sound similar but they also have the same ability to write a heavy rock song that is universally appealing. This band is going to…

#13 Vinyl Theater Origami I don’t know if I have ever heard guitars and synths blend so well before. Origami is layered with them and they almost play like an orchestra. Favorite Tracks – Day In Day Out, 30 Seconds Listen to Origami Watch The Videos

#14 Halsey Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Halsey’s Alt-Pop sound is incredibly catchy and infectious. The songs breath beautifully over some of the most interesting lyrics I’ve ever heard. I could listen to this album over and over and just get lost in the stories she tells. Favorite Tracks- Heaven In Hiding, Alone Listen to Hopeless Fountain…

#15 Elsie Binx (EBX) That’s What She Said Elsie Binx got a bit heavier since their first album (#13 from 2015) and I like it a lot. They were the band that got me back into the Detroit music scene and they still remain the best. I have no doubt they will eventually break out…

#16 Imagine Dragons Evolve I have to admit, I kind of gave up on Imagine Dragons. After an incredible first record (#10 in 2012) their second album was a complete disappointment. Evolve makes up for it without hesitation. Believer is easily the best song they have ever written and is destined for a grammy…

#17 Dreamcar Dreamcar The guys from No Doubt get the singer from AFI and create a serious 80’s retro new wave album. Bringing back memories of Duran Duran and The Cure among others. A completely original take on what we love about the 80’s. Favorite Tracks- On The Charts, Kill For Candy Listen to Dreamcar…

#18 John Mayer The Search For Everything It might just be me but I love everything John Mayer does. His voice is so soothing to listen to. The fact that he did a breakup album was even more special to me this year. Still Feel Like Your Man, Emoji of a Wave, Helpless, Moving On…

#19 All Time Low Last Young Renegade If you are expecting another straight forward Pop-Punk album you would be let down. If you are looking for an intelligent and atmospheric Pop-Rock album this is easily one of the best of 2017. There is still enough Pop-Punk to keep long time fans around for the party….

#20 Arcade Fire Everything Now Is it possible for Arcade Fire to make a bad album? Five albums in I’m going to have to say not a chance. Everything Now is like a tour through the decades of pop music. All done with their incredible brilliance of songwriting. Favorite Tracks- Everything Now, Peter Pan Listen…

Starting December 5th My Favorite Albums of 2017 I know I said last year would be my last. Well, I paid for the domain for another year so I better not waste it. This year will be much more scaled down as I didn’t want to commit too much time to getting it together. I’m…